(Paris) Alstom’s contract for the construction of carriages for the Quebec tramway, at a cost of $569 million, is entering a zone of turbulence. The Legault government is wondering whether a new call for tenders is necessary.
On mission to Paris, Prime Minister François Legault will meet the general director and administrator of Alstom, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, on Wednesday.
The French giant won the contract for the Quebec tramway and signed it in 2023; he was the only bidder following the withdrawal of the German Siemens. Alstom purchased Bombardier’s rail division in 2020.
“When we talk about manufacturing trams, trains, metros, there are three big players in the world: a Chinese, a German and a Franco-Quebecer because the biggest shareholder in Alstom is the Caisse deposit [et placement du Québec] », Said François Legault during a press scrum on Tuesday. “We have all kinds of issues to discuss, and I especially obviously want to talk about projects with jobs in Quebec,” he added.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Prime Minister François Legault
Among these “issues” is the Alstom contract for the Quebec City tramway. “Legally, it is not clear whether or not we should go back to tender. », recognized François Legault, who said he wanted to “respect the law”.
He gave the green light to phase 1 of the tram project reviewed and corrected by CDPQ Infra in June. This subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt proposed various modifications to the City of Quebec project, including shorter trains and cars with hybrid power (by wire and battery) rather than only by wire as was provided for in the contract. Remember that Alstom’s competitor, Siemens, was campaigning for hybrid technology.
Asked if his wish was to maintain the Alstom contract, he replied: “I want international laws to be respected, period”. We could not know the possible penalties in the event of breach of contract.
The mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, says he expects an imminent announcement from the government to get the project underway. “We will do this correctly, legally, as quickly as possible. We want to do the tram project, phase 1, which costs around five billion. We want to do it, we will do it as quickly as possible, while being legal,” replied Mr. Legault.